Superman: Space Age

Product Information

The 1960s were a turbulent time for our world. While we thrilled to the music of the Beatles, TV shows like Star Trek and spy thrillers like the James Bond movies, outside the realm of entertainment, things were chaotic. America experienced a Presidential assassination, the torrent of the civil rights movement, a high-stakes space race, and the always looming threat of nuclear war. It was a difficult time for everybody, but what if they were Superman? Outliving One's Offspring: The origin of this continuity's Joker involves him wanting vendetta against Wayne Enterprises because of his daughter Tabitha dying in a fire that was caused under Maxwell Lord's ownership of the company. I love that Lois was writing the Kooks and Kranks column. It reminded me of her debut in Action Comics #1 where she was responsible for writing “sob stories.” Meet Clark Kent, a young reporter who just learned that the world will soon come to an end (Crisis on Infinite Earths) and there is nothing he can do to save it. Sounds like a job for his alter ego...Superman! Superman: Space Age from critically acclaimed writer Mark Russell (One-Star Squadron and The Flintstones) and Eisner-winner artist Mike Allred (Silver Surfer and Bowie: Stardust, Rayguns & Moonage Daydreams) will be available in comic shops on July 26, 2022.

Superman: Space Age Confirms Humanity Is His Final Villain

Meet Clark Kent, a young reporter who just learned that the world will soon come to an end ( Crisis on Infinite Earths) and there is nothing he can do to save it. Sounds like a job for his alter ego…Superman! Superman comics were published in the 1960s, but they didn’t lean into contemporary events the way this story does. How did these events shape your version of the character? Starting in the early 1960's and continuing to 1985, the year of Crisis on Infinite Earths, the story is a Period Piece exploring Superman and Batman as they wrestle with the hardships of saving humanity, as well as what that means as the world both changes around them and stubbornly stays the same. It's definitely a Superman story, but I wanted it to be about how Superman is sort of the product of all the people around him, and about how as the symbol of hope, what you hope to accomplish is that other people will be drawn to it. Other people will follow or at the very least will try to also create hope where they can. That's really what this story is about, and that is where the rest of the Justice League and the DC Universe comes into play.

Epic Fail: Superman's first outing, spurred by President Kennedy's assassination and a resulting missile crisis, is a failure on all accounts as he flies into a bird, is shot down by pilots, and almost causes the very disaster he was trying to prevent. Adaptational Late Appearance: The Joker is normally one of Batman’s earliest enemies to show up, having debuted only a year after the Dark Knight, in the first issue of his ongoing series. In this series, the Joker doesn’t appear until the 1980s, two decades after Batman showed up on the scene. Taking You with Me: The Joker refuses to let the children he's holding hostage go unless Bruce wears a clown mask and lets the police snipers shoot him so he can make a clean getaway with a Bruce Wayne mask. Bruce instead makes it so both he and the Joker are shot dead. Red Herring: Kryptonite's existence and potential as a weapon is mentioned repeatedly, but never used, even when Otis expends Lex's resources to buy some. One of Superman's great powers, which never really gets talked about much in the comics, is his ability to listen. How he absorbs the wisdom of others, and lets it become part of him. How he takes the best attributes of other people and uses them to grow, without which he would be an absolute terror. You don't want somebody in power who doesn't have that ability to listen and to grow and to respect the wisdom of others. So, I wanted to really make that an important part of his development in this first volume.

SUPERMAN: SPACE AGE | DC

It is implied that this story is set on a Pre-Crisis universe and the events in the present (1985) take place during the first Crisis. Uniting the critically acclaimed writer Mark Russell ( One-Star Squadron and The Flintstones) and Eisner-winner Mike Allred ( Silver Surfer and Bowie: Stardust, Rayguns & Moonage Daydreams) for the first time, this series promises fans an unforgettable journey through U.S. history and culture starring Superman. Talented comic book creators Mark Russell and Mike Allred are teaming up for the first time in a brand new DC Comics prestige series, Superman: Space Age, which will explore the hero through the ages and see him confront humanity's march towards self-destruction. The publisher revealed the three-issue series this week, as it brings the Eisner Award-nominated talents together to tell an epic story about the Man of Steel and how he's evolved against numerous threats over the years.Rogues' Gallery Transplant: Lex Luthor is ultimately more of a Batman enemy than a foe of Superman. He competes with Bruce Wayne at the beginning of the story, and is sent to prison before Superman becomes publicly known. When he's released 20 years later, he focuses his efforts on trying to absorb Wayne Enterprises, dismissing Otis' idea to use Kryptonite against Superman, and never directly confronts the Man of Steel once in this story.

Superman: Space Age by Mark Russell, Michael Allred Superman: Space Age by Mark Russell, Michael Allred

This is a dream project for me,” said Mark Russell. “Not only because I get to work with a genius like Mike Allred, but because I’ve always found Superman such a philosophically fascinating character, one which forces us to ask how different would the world be if we chose to be our best selves?” Bittersweet Ending: Superman dies, but his actions gave everyone on his Earth a new chance at life and gave an alternate Superman a whole Earth's worth of hope. But nothing lasts forever, as Pariah notes, and the end of days approaches faster than one could guess. How Superman spends Earth's final years may be the key to saving them all.

Chekhov's Gunman: Brainiac shows our Superman a world that had already destroyed itself, leaving only its Superman, in an attempt to get him to join him. Superman decides to give that world renewed hope by transporting his Earth's inhabitants' DNA structures there. Noble Demon: Brainiac, of all entities, is concerned with saving the multiverse by extracting all the worlds' best heroes in a chance at stopping the Crisis. When Superman and the League fight him to a stalemate, he withdraws, and decides not to destroy Earth because it would lessen Superman's chances of joining him. He also gives Superman one last chance to save himself as the universe ends. Superman: Space Age Book One shows that anyone can be a hero.This comic highlights the human heroes in Superman's life, from journalists like Lois Lane to activists like John Lewis. This issue also explores Clark's relationship with his work as a journalist. It's clear that he truly enjoys writing as much as he does flying through Metropolis. Superman and Lois' narration makes a lot of sense, but there is a lot of it to sift through, especially as other characters and teams are introduced. While this can be exciting for fans of said characters, Superman: Space Age could benefit from keeping the focus on Superman and his main connections instead of trying to deliver a broader look at the DC Universe. Pyrrhic Victory: Lex cements his victory over Batman, Wayne Enterprises, and the world the day the world ends. To add insult to injury, the fact that he refused Superman's DNA extraction means nothing of him remains on the new Earth.